Burn out/ depression: how did you get over yours?

Any success stories about getting through the burn out or work related depression and managing to get back to the same rythm of work afterwards? I am totally out now as they had to send me away from work for a while and i am scared that it will all take too long and i will never be able to cope with that amount of work again.

Comments (51)

That sucks, my friend. Depression IS a health problem that should be seriously taken care of by a specialist. Have you been to a psychologist or a doctor? Maybe therapy is enough, maybe you have a chemical imbalance and will need some drugs to reduce the symptoms and get back to normal rhythm...Good luck!

Gym was actually part of the problem for me. I has such hue amounts of adrenaline and feeling high on work that used to gym 3 times a week just to get more energy out. But as an adrenaline driven activity it didn't help at all.Good that it worked for you though. Do you use it to just clear your mind and was it an actual tool in your post burn out recovery?

Can't help you with depression, not a therapist. As far as burnout goes, a week in Bali, lots of meditation, and lots of sex with your SO. You might never want to go back, but then something else may be better suited for your own personal development and career goals. If it's really something you want, you'll get right back into it. I've had the same fear on multiple occasions and somehow seem to get right back in the swing of things, even if it did take a little extra ramp up time.

Thanks, this sounds like going far away is a good plan. Howeverm due to the fact that the burn out turned into depression i am dealing with a tomof meds and therapy,so cant really be away. A weekend in teh country side with no email/wifi/bloombergs though sounds amazing!

Well the far away and tropical part is just a personal preference. It can be a ski trip/countryside(as you put it)/etc. The location doesn't matter, it is the disconnecting from all things in a natural environment that I advocate. The thing about the SO is only important if its a serious relationship you see lasting for the long haul. If it's not serious and you don't envision yourself with that person for more than a few years then it would be better to go it alone and completely focus on yourself. Good luck to you.

There has been some good advice offered so far, but let me offer you something different: maybe banking is just not for you. Don't take this the wrong way, but banking is not meant for everyone. There's nothing wrong with that. I have two friends who left before their two years were up because they just did not like the job, and they are much happier now. Just something to think about.

Sil, thanks for advice. The thing is that i LOVE my job, and as i couldnt get enough of it i kept grabbing more and more projects and gradually completely check out of any life aside from work. Than one day it just all collapsed (through physical symptoms). Made me rethink the way I work and the place I work, but cant wait to get back to doing the job as I am very happy to have found smth i have so much passion for. The frustrating part is that burn out/depression takes time to get over, and the banks wants to make sure i dont coma back to work too early so that i dont burn out again within months...

I would recommend ayahuasca. I've never done it myself but I've researched it a ton. Also, my cousin who was depressed (corporate law burnout) flew down to south america and gave it a shot after he heard about it on a podcast. Literally changed who he is as a human being for the better.

Going through the same situation right now, subbed to this thread for more replies. I'm pretty much in the same boat as Sil's friends who left banking early on, granted I'm in my 3rd year in Corp Banking. But at the moment not giving a fuck whether I make associate or not, I just want to leave banking altogether.

This is quite distressing to hear. For me, I really was not able to get over the burn-out and depression until I left IB. Finally was able to focus on eating better and get better from a mental standpoint. A suggestion I have is start looking for a role that is less demanding on your life and allows you work towards a healthy lifestyle in the professional and personal sense....

Tell your man to be home when you get home and cuddle the s**t out of him. Depression seems to be common when you are a high functioning person and it is easy to lose yourself in your work and forget about other aspects of life which increases depression (at least for me). It is just nice being able to go home and having someone there for you.

Meditating 10 mins a day works wonders. Also, try to look forward to something - could be as simple as the next movie you want to watch or your next big vacation - helps to keep the mind preoccupied with a positive picture of whats coming up. I dealt with my burn out by focusing more on the task at hand as opposed to the number of staffings I had or the amount of work I need to crank out in a day - complete opposite of multi-tasking - helps you regain focus and a sense of achievement that you still have what it takes to still do it - will also make settling back into your job slightly easier

Meditating 10 mins a day works wonders. Also, try to look forward to something - could be as simple as the next movie you want to watch or your next big vacation - helps to keep the mind preoccupied with a positive picture of whats coming up. I dealt with my burn out by focusing more on the task at hand as opposed to the number of staffings I had or the amount of work I need to crank out in a day - complete opposite of multi-tasking - helps you regain focus and a sense of achievement that you still have what it takes to still do it - will also make settling back into your job slightly easier

Hope this helps man

Thanks. That's a lot of handy tips for when I finally get back to work!

Surprised to see how many people meditate. Will give it a try as I have just joined yoga practice. I constantly feel trapped in my mind as the physical pain (which is one of the major symptoms for me) keeps me stressed so I can't relax and the pain gets worse. May be meditation is a good idea to clear my mind.

Sit down, and figure out what makes you happy/excited, and try to fit that into your schedule. All of us here are so desensitized to the type of lifestyle finance requires, but sometimes you need to figure out the more important thing in your life, and that's your physical and mental health.

Trust me, Its just a job. You shouldn't suffer with something as serious as depression.

Dalai Lama said it best: ""Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."

I was in a similar situation last year when I was in my undergrad. I started eating more healthy which helped slightly. I always ate healthy and worked out but it did not seem to help my case much, but i noticed a big change in mood when I started taking vitamin D3. This can help to enlighten one's mood. Many people are vitamin d deficient, and it will affect your mood. I highly recommend checking that out along with st johns wort. Do some research on the supplement on the proper doses, but it is a natural antidepressant. i have not tried this myself but I have also heard great things. Finally, look up a few Tony Robbins videos on youtube. He's a great motivator and has really helped in getting my confidence back when you're down in a slump. He has an hr of power talk and positive incantations. This advise may not be for everyone but has worked for me. Good luck!

I'm nobody special or anything but if you ever just want someone to talk to, I'm usually free. Shoot me a PM if you want and we can talk over e-mail/text/phone or whatever. Sometimes it helps just to have someone to be able to reach out to.

Thanks everyone for so many useful tips. I did devote some time to meditation, yoga, being in nature and re-connecting wiyh old hobbies, as well as seeing psycologist/psychiatrist to work through mediacation. I do start to feel better now. It gave me time to reflect on my career choice and i do belive that i am doing it all for teh right reasons and take great pleasure in my job, so no issues there :)

I am going back to work as of this week, after 7 weeks of sick leave. With both HR, copmany doctor and manager involved, the banks wants to make it work for me, allowing to very gradualy build up the hours. Starting with only doing a few mornings in a week working on non-urgent projects and slowly increasing the workload/hours. Happy to be back to the office though i am concerned how things are gonna work out, whether i will be able to cope with this work or not, and whether the moment i feel OK i will ignore my past experince and jump to min 80h immediately. Only time will show.

So for a serious answer, around the same time as you. I came the realization that I wasn't happy and didn't actually care what my bonus was, and was kinda apathetic when I got it. Took some time off for block leave, didn't come back much better, so I started to make moves and then left a few months later.

Once you get your first bonus and realize you're not rich, and you only got ~$5,500 more post-tax than the kid next to you who showed up at 10:45am every day, and you already have a PE job lined up. Pretty difficult to stay motivated when that's all in place

However, if you feeling burned out from work, here is my quick fix:1) 30 minutes (basketball or other aerobic exercises).2) Follow up with 30 minutes in a steam room.3) Follow up with ice cold shower, (for at least 30 seconds).

Random question--when do you see people burn out? (Originally Posted: 01/28/2015)

just curious, when do most people around you seem to burn out in finance? i've been noticing that the age range of 35-38 seems to be when people look really unhappy (or when many people become stuck), what's your experience been?

Early when they realize finance just isn't really for them. Especially when they're being grounded to the bone and don't envision themself in more senior roles down the line. This is probably the most common. Usually analyst or associate level.

When there is a significant life event that changes their perspective. Best example is having kids, especially for women. Anywhere from associate to MD level.

When they have enough money that they don't have to put up with anyone's shit anymore. When it loses fun at that point, they walk. MD level only.

When they realize that they're just not going to make it to the next level because it doesn't suit their temperament. Often going from execution to relationship management or equivalent. People often shift gears into something else when they were great at the former, but not at the latter. This often happens at the VP or the SVP/Director level

And a million other reasons. I'm not sure if these are what you call burnouts or not, but it's been when I've seen people move out of finance or into other areas of finance.

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